Creation of the Organisational Structure of a Safe Community

Birutė Pitrėnaitė, Algirdas Astrauskas, Birutė Mikulskienė

Abstract

Every country faces more or less acute safety issues. Compared with other EU countries, Lithuania takes a stand as a country with large number of traffic accidents, crimes, injuries, suicide. In order to address these problems rapidly and effectively, a more active contribution of local authorities is required. However, Lithuanian municipalities do not have a unified pattern or practice for ensuring public safety at local level and developing safe communities. Lithuanian scientists have not yet suggested any complex managerial tools for building and developing safe communities. This study is intended to begin filling this gap. The objective of this paper is to offer the municipal organisational structure as one of the prerequisites for safe design and development of the municipality. It describes the prerequisites for improving safety in Lithuanian municipalities and creating safe communities. It was found that under Lithuanian law municipalities implement relevant functions that directly affect safety within local community. The authors present suggestions for creating (or improving existing) organisational structure needed to implement and develop the principles of a safe community. Carefully planned and consistently completed proposals are likely to lead to sustainable, efficient and effective organisational structure of a safe community.